Russia and Ukraine on Saturday announced a significant prisoner exchange, with both countries swapping 115 prisoners of war, marking a key moment in the ongoing conflict.
The exchange came just over two weeks after Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, further intensifying the already volatile situation.
The swap occurred on Ukrainian Independence Day, symbolizing a moment of reprieve amid the relentless fighting.
Both nations expressed gratitude to the United Arab Emirates, which played a crucial role in mediating the deal.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the exchange, celebrating the return of the Ukrainian soldiers. “Another 115 of our defenders have returned home today.
These are soldiers of the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy, and the State Border Guard Service,” Zelensky announced, sharing images of the released soldiers wrapped in Ukrainian flags.
Ukraine had earlier reported capturing hundreds of Russian soldiers during the incursion into the Kursk region, which began on August 6.
The latest exchange appears to be part of ongoing efforts to manage the humanitarian aspects of the conflict, despite the continued military engagements.
On the Russian side, the defense ministry confirmed the return of 115 soldiers captured during the Kursk incursion.
“As a result of a negotiation process, 115 Russian servicemen taken prisoner in the Kursk region have been returned from territories controlled by the Kyiv regime,” the ministry stated.
The released troops are currently in Belarus, where they are receiving “psychological-medical help” before being transported back to Russia.
The Russian defense ministry also released images of the freed soldiers standing near buses in a field, underlining the somber reality of the ongoing war.
The United Arab Emirates, which has played a quiet but vital diplomatic role, stated that it had “successfully mediated a new captives exchange between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Ukraine.”
This exchange adds to a series of prisoner swaps that have taken place throughout the more than two-year conflict, offering glimmers of hope in an otherwise bleak situation.
